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Lajas, Puerto Rico
Lajas, Puerto Rico
	; Flag
	; Flag
	Nickname(s): La Ciudad Cardenalicia", "Los Tira Piedras
	; Lajas, Puerto Rico Location within the island of Puerto Rico
	Coordinates: 18°03′07″N 67°03′35″W / 18.05194°N 67.05972°W
Country	United States
Territory	Puerto Rico
Founded	1883
	Government
- Mayor	Hon. Leo Cotte (PNP)
- Senatorial dist.	5 - Ponce
- Representative dist.	21
	Area
- Total	76.8 sq mi (199.04 km2)
- Land	61 sq mi (158 km2)
- Water	15.8 sq mi (41.04 km2)
	Population (2000)
- Total	27,009
- Density	434.6/sq mi (167.8/km2)
- Gentilic	Lajeños
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
	Anthem – "Nuestro Lajas, pueblito querido"

Lajas is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southwestern region, south of San Germán and Sabana Grande; east of Cabo Rojo; and west of Guánica. Lajas is spread over 11 wards and Lajas Pueblo (The downtown area and the administrative center of the city). It is part of the San Germán-Cabo Rojo Metropolitan Statistical Area.

[edit] History

Located at the Lajas valley, the town was founded in 1883 by the Xueta Teodoro Jacome Pagan. Xuetes (Chuetas) were Majorcan Jews (Sephardi Catalan Jews). Some families changed their names from Jacome to the Castilian form Santiago (Saint James the greater). Jacome is the Mallorquin form of James (Ia'akov). Catalonian Jews from Majorca were part of the early settlers in the South of (Boriken) Puerto Rico.The village of La Parguera (founded in 1940 by fishermen from Guánica and Cabo Rojo) is a popular tourist destination to see the famous Bahía Fosforescente (Phosphoresent Bay) and its keys and islet's.

[edit] Flag

The flag consists of three (3) horizontal stripes; the superior one green, the center white and the bottom one yellow. A fourth cross. In the center of that cross we have two arms united with a ripe yellow pineapple. The cross is surrounded by eleven gold stars; five in the superior (north) part and six in the inferior (south) part of the cross forming a circle.

[edit] Coat of Arms

The body is gold with a green band crossing it diagonally right to left; the color gold stands for the wealth of the land and green stands for the beauty of the valley which is a gift from mother nature to Lajas. The band is adorned, at each end, with a pineapple bordered in gold and black. In the center of the band, also in gold, a marine shell. In the left superior side there is a red cardinal's hat and in the inferior a red anchor with a green; the shield has 3 tower castle, each one with two windows and one door. On the bottom, outside the shield, a banner with the inscription "Cardenalicia City" (Cardinality City). The banner and the inscription appear in black.

[edit] Barrios

Lajas is divided into the following barrios (wards/districts)^[1]^[2]:

Candelaria
Costa
Lajas Arriba

Lajas Pueblo
Llanos
Palmarejos

Paris
Parguera
Plata

Sábana Yeguas
Santa Rosa

[edit] National protected area

Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge

[edit] Tourism

Lajas is famous for its main touristic attraction, Phosphorescent Bay (La Parguera) , a place where luminescent dinoflagellates of different colors appear when the water moves. The origin of the colored lights is the object of many legends. Lajas is also a fishing town.

[edit] Landmarks and places of interest

Caracoles, a mangrove island off La Parguera

Cartagena Lagoon
Indian Museum
Old Train Station
Old Silver Mines
La Parguera
Lajeño soldier Monument
Isla Magueyes
Isla Mata la Gata
Pineapple Processing Plant Ruins
Rosada Beach or Playita Rosada

[edit] Festivals and events

Matron Festivities - February
International Kite Festival - February
Agro Fair- March
Pineapple Festival - March
E. Ramírez Marathon - March
Kite Festival - June
Fish Festival - July
Cock Fight Festival - October

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Media related to Lajas, Puerto Rico at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 18°03′07″N 67°03′35″W / 18.05194°N 67.05972°W / 18.05194; -67.05972

[0] ttp://www.rootsweb.com/~prsanjua/m-lajas.gif

[1] Map of the Neighborhoods (Barrios) of Lajas

[1]

[2]

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